Environmental Issues Still Concern For Some

By Sharla Bardin

The Morning News/NWAonline.net

FAYETTEVILLE -- City officials are looking at three new options when it comes to the development of the business and technology park in west Fayetteville.

Nothing is set as to which plan will be used, and city officials and consulting engineers will analyze the benefits and costs of each design, said Gary Dumas, the city's general-services director, who presented the plans and maps to the City Council during this week's agenda-setting session.

Ultimately, that analysis will go to the council at the end of June or first of July, Dumas said.

The plans show varying degrees of impact on the wetland, from 17 acres to zero.

For years, city officials have tried to determine how the park property should be developed. The approximately 289-acre site is northwest of the intersection of Interstate 540 and Arkansas 112.

Development has not happened yet, in part because of environmentally sensitive areas and the need to protect the Arkansas darter, a relatively rare fish living in a tributary of Clabber Creek.

About 85 acres have been designated as wetland, Dumas said.

Earlier this year, meetings were conducted to hear the public's view of the project. Those varied from people who are gung-ho about the park to others who worry about the impact on the environment.

In addition, it was announced that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wants to move its regional office from the Beaver Lake area to the park property. The timing is contingent on the city's progress with development plans.

City officials say the goal is to develop a business and technology park that is a balance between economic opportunities and environmental conservation.

Having such a park will help Fayetteville attract technology jobs for the area and contribute to the city's economic and tax base, city officials say.

Still, there are lingering questions from residents about the environmental state of the property, including the type of plants and animals living at the site and what is needed in order for them to continue to survive, said Fran Alexander, a Fayetteville resident who has been vocal in meetings about her environmental concerns.

Dumas said city officials, consultants and environmentalists have met to discuss the new options with meetings that have included trips to the property.

The options:

• A plan that would affect 17 acres of wetland but leave 147 acres to develop.

• A zero-impact option that would allow for 109 acres to be used.

• A half-acre wetland proposal that would leave about 128 acres to develop.

The options alter earlier designs that would have affected 45 acres of wetland and were deemed "too intrusive" into the sensitive area, Dumas said.

City officials also wanted project representatives to work with members of the environmental community, he said.

Officials next will look into the cost of mitigation and construction for each design. Mitigation is a process through which the city would enhance or replace wetland in exchange for disturbing other wetland.

The final part of the work involves appraisal of the property taking into account the different options and expenses involved, Dumas said.

He also said that the city wants to protect and enhance the habitat of the darter.

"That was one of the primary reasons for decreasing the wetland impact from 45 acres to 17 acres," he said about one of the options.

The majority of the development has been moved about 1,500 feet from Wilson Springs, Dumas said.

Still, there are questions from residents who would like more concrete information about the biological function of the land, including a specialized assessment, evaluation and inventory of what is there, Alexander said.

Alexander said "a variety of people concerned with environmental issues have asked" for the city's Environmental Concerns Committee to have a special forum.

A meeting is planned for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the City Council chambers in the City Administration Building at 113 • . Mountain St.

"I think it's a question night," she said. "The answers are going to require some sort of organized study."

She also said the intent is to "get (the) environmental arm of land-use decisions discussed."

In addition, some people have asked whether "the economics of building in this type of environment is going to be justified."

Alexander said that, while there have been members of the environmental community attending meetings with project members, there is no committee, structure to the meetings or assigned representatives that encompass "all of these environmental aspects."

She said those from the environmental community have a variety of questions they would like to see addressed. She said, "We're classified as being obstructionists when that's not what we're trying to do."